(Not Applicable)
(Not Applicable)
The present invention relates generally to motion toys, and more particularly to an animated toy comprising a plurality of structural elements pivotally connected to each other in a manner defining a human body, and a reversible motor which is cooperatively engaged to the structural elements and operative to cause portions of the body defined thereby to alternatively tilt or sway in different directions.
There is currently known in the prior art a wide variety of animated or motion toys which employ the use of one or more motors and associated transmission gear trains to facilitate the movement of various parts of the toy. These animated toys include figurines which have the shape of a human body, with the motor(s) and gear train(s) thereof being operative to cause various parts of the body, such as the arms, legs and/or head, to move separately and/or in unison.
One such animated or motion toy currently known in the prior art is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,617 issued on Jun. 15, 1999 to Chou. The motion toy disclosed in the Chou patent differs from those known in the prior art by, among other things, the capability of the upper and lower parts of the body thereof to alternatively tilt inwardly and outwardly in reverse directions. To achieve this particular range of motion, the motion toy disclosed in the Chou patent comprises a pair of waist cover shells, the upper ends of which are pivotally connected to respective ones of a pair of shoulder cover shells, with the lower ends of the waist cover shells being pivotally connected to respective ones of a pair of foot cover shells. Also included in the motion toy is a pair of trunk cover shells which are connected to respective ones of the shoulder cover shells and a motor mount which is mounted within a cavity collectively defined by the waist, shoulder and trunk cover shells. A reversible motor is attached to the motor mount and mechanically coupled to the foot cover shells via a pair of main racks which are integrally formed on respective ones of the foot cover shells.
Though the body of the motion toy disclosed in the Chou patent is uniquely configured in a manner wherein the upper and lower parts thereof alternatively tilt inwardly and outwardly in reverse directions, such motion toy possesses certain deficiencies which detract from its overall utility. These deficiencies include the inability of the upper and lower parts of the body to tilt or sway at differing speeds. In this respect, the reversible motor of the animated toy disclosed in the Chou patent operates at only a single speed or frequency, thus resulting in the speed or rate at which the upper and lower parts of the body tilt inwardly and outwardly being a constant during the operation of the motion toy. Additionally, the motion toy disclosed in the Chou patent is devoid of any structures which provide for the movement of the arms and head of the toy which are attached to the shoulder cover shells thereof. As will be recognized, such movement of the arms and/or head would provide a more life-like, appealing appearance during the operation of the motion toy. Moreover, the structures employed to facilitate the mechanical coupling of the reversible motor to the foot cover shells, and more particularly to the main racks thereof, creates an imbalance during operation which gives rise to a susceptibility for the motion toy to fall over onto one of its sides upon reaching the limits or extremes of its inward and outward movements. Indeed, in the commercially marketed embodiment of the motion toy disclosed in the Chou patent, the foot plates which are pivotally connected to the lower ends of respective ones of the foot cover shells are themselves attached to a common base plate for purposes of providing support to the motion toy and preventing the same from falling over due to the above-described imbalance condition.
The present invention provides an animated or motion toy similar in structure and operation to that disclosed in the Chou patent, but eliminating the above-described deficiencies. More particularly, the animated toy of the present invention is provided with an internal cam arrangement which facilitates the alternating upward and downward movement of the arms attached to the shoulder member of the body thereof. This cam arrangement also provides for the rotation of the head attached to the shoulder member in a back and forth motion. Additionally, unique electronic circuitry is provided in the animated toy of the present invention which is in electrical communication with the reversible motor thereof. This electronic circuitry is capable of operating the reversible motor at differing speeds, thus allowing for variations in the speed or rate of the swaying motion of the upper and lower portions of the body which are in time with the music played by the animated toy during its operation. Moreover, the animated toy of the present invention is provided with discrete rack members which are used to mechanically couple the reversible motor to the leg members in a manner maintaining the balance and stability of the present animated toy through its complete range of tilting movement, thus eliminating the need for additional support structures such as a base plate attached to the foot members thereof. These and other unique attributes of the present invention will be discussed in more detail below.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an animated toy which comprises a toy body. The toy body itself comprises a shoulder member and a pair of waist members, the upper ends of which are pivotally connected to the shoulder member. The toy body further comprises a pair of leg members, the upper ends of which are pivotally connected to the lower ends of respective ones of the waist members, and a pair of foot members which are pivotally connected the lower ends of respective ones of the leg members. In addition to the shoulder, waist, leg and foot members, the toy body includes a pair of arm members and a head member which are each rotatably connected to the shoulder member.
In addition to the toy body, the animated toy of the present invention comprises a drive unit which is mounted to the toy body and includes a reversible motor which is mechanically coupled to the leg members and operative to reciprocally tilt the leg members in first and second directions. The tilting of the leg members in the first and second directions occurs in unison. The drive unit preferably comprises a motor mount which is pivotally connected to the shoulder member and extends between the waist members. The reversible motor is itself preferably attached to the motor mount, with the tilting of the leg members in the first direction causing the motor mount to be tilted in the second direction, and the tilting of the leg members in the second direction causing the motor mount to be titled in the first direction.
In the present animated toy, the arm members of the toy body are mechanically coupled to the upper ends of respective ones of the waist members so as to be alternately movable in different directions thereby. More particularly, the mechanical coupling of the arm members to the waist members is accomplished such that the tilting of the waist members in the first and second directions causes the arm members to alternately move in different (i.e., opposite) directions. Similarly, the head member of the toy body is mechanically coupled to the motor mount such that the tilting of the motor mount in the first and second directions causes the head member to alternately rotate in different directions. The toy body may further include front and back trunk plates which are each attached to the motor mount and, together with the waist members and shoulder member, collectively define an interior cavity which accommodates the motor mount and hence the reversible motor.
To facilitate the alternating movement of the arm members, each of the waist members preferably includes a cam portion which defines the upper end thereof and has a slot formed therein Additionally, each of the arm members preferably includes an arm pin which protrudes therefrom and is received into the slot of a respective one of the cam portions. The tilting of the waist members in the first and second directions causes the cam portions to act against the arm pins in a manner facilitating the alternate rotation of the arm members in opposite directions.
To facilitate the alternate rotation of the head member, the motor mount preferably includes a pair of cam levers which protrude therefrom in spaced, generally parallel relation to each other. The head member itself defines a central axis and includes a head pin protruding therefrom in radially off-set relation to the central axis. When the head member is rotatably connected to the shoulder member, the head pin is extended between the cam levers such that the tilting of the motor mount in the first and second directions causes the cam levers to act against the head pin in a manner facilitating the alternate rotation of the head member in opposite directions.
The animated toy of the present invention may further comprise a variable speed control unit which is disposed within the toy body and in electrical communication with the reversible motor. The control unit is operative to selectively increase and decrease the speed of the reversible motor, and hence the rate at which the waist members are tilted in the first and second directions thereby. Also included in the animated toy of the present invention is a speaker which is mounted to the toy body, and a music unit which is disposed within the toy body and in electrical communication with the speaker and the control unit. The music unit is operative to produce music signals, with the control unit being operative to increase and decrease the speed of the reversible motor in time with the music signals produced by the music unit and transmitted to the speaker. Both the music unit and the control unit are preferably disposed within one of the foot members of the toy body.
The animated toy of the present invention may further comprise a pair of rack members which are rotatably connected to respective ones of the leg members, and each include a rack portion and a spring portion. The spring portion of each of the rack members is cooperatively engagable to a respective one of the leg members, with the tilting of the leg members in the first and second directions being limited by the alternate engagement of the spring portions of the rack members to respective ones of the leg members. Such engagement of the spring portions to the leg members occurs when the leg members reach the extreme limits of their tilting movement in the first and second directions, and prevents excess tilting as could result in the animated toy falling onto one of its sides. The dampening effect facilitated by the spring portions of the rack members may be complemented by a pair of dampening members which are attached to the motor mount and alternately engagable to the waist members during the tilting thereof in the first and second directions.
In accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the waist members of the toy body are pivotally connected to only the motor mount, and thus have no physical contact with the shoulder member. In this alternative embodiment, the motor mount is itself formed to include the cam portions, with such cam portions being mechanically coupled to respective ones of the arm members. As such, the back and forth tilting of the motor mount in the first and second directions results in the cam portions thereof acting against the arm pins of the arm members in a manner facilitating the alternate rotation of the arm members in opposite directions.